Everyday Maia

Australian Drop Bears – A Menace to Tourists and Residents

2012-02-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Warning,Warning! Australian Drop Bearpopulation has shot up during the last year! Drop Bears are a crossbetween a koala, the extinct Tasmanian Tiger, and a Tasmanian devil.The Drop Bear is at least 3 times as big as a normal koala andnormally reaches to a man's thigh. Drop Bears have sharp claws andhuge fangs. Drop Bears tend to live in eucalyptus trees, waiting forthe unwary tourist or kangaroo to cross beneath their branches andthen they drop onto their prey, thus the name Drop Bears. To find outmore about Drop Bears go to the Australian Museum.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-Bear

Drop bears are avery real threat. Look up, stay alive.

Here is a picture of a drop bear found on a Mountain Bike rider's forum

Charlie the Cat is Home!!

2012-01-09T16:10:00.001-08:00

CHARLIE THE CAT IS BACK! It's a cat,it's dog, no I was right the first time, it's a cat! And not just anycat, oh no, it's Charlie the Cat! Charlie the Cat has been missing inaction for nearly a year, but he's back from his 11 month longvacation with new found courage to face the hardships of life afloat.When he left to go live with my grandparents I was so sad. I felt asthough my best friend had deserted me. And now after 11 months ofhissing at dogs and hiding in a cupboard, after 3 plane rides, amonth of quarantine, several car trips and 1 dinghy ride he findshimself back where he started his long, long trip. He isn't very shyand he seems very happy. He remembers his old hiding places and heremembers not to fall over board. I'm so happy to have him back. Andhe's happy to be here.

Christmas in Oz

2011-12-05T16:43:00.001-08:00

Hi everybody! We're in Brisbane, finally ready to settle down for a little while. We are spending Christmas with Connect 4.

They celebrate Christmas in the summer in Australia, which is kind of funny. It's really cold here! Sometimes it drops below 20 C! We'll be in Brisbane, or Brissie, as the locals call it for a while which should be fun as there's a really nice park here and town is about a two minute walk away, not a hour long bus ride. I'm happy about getting back to civilization but also a little sad at the thought of this leg of the journey being done.

I'll miss the happy, simple island people who we spent so much time with in Fiji and Vanuatu. On the islands when anyone saw you they would stop, smile, and ask your name. Here, every one rushes by you with a frown on their face. Brisbane seems like a really nice place and I hope I'll be able to go to school here. A bunch of my friends are going to be living here on their boats which'll be cool. I'm happy to be here and I intend to make the most of it.

Merry Christmas!

Maia in the Land of Oz

2011-11-30T19:15:00.001-08:00

Hi everybody!

I'm finally in . . . Australia! We're 15 miles awayfrom Brisbane. We're sailing there withour friends Connect 4. Recently we went to the Australia Zoo and we cuddledkoalas, fed kangaroos, and held crocodiles.

We spent an entire day there. Itwas so amazing to see all the hundreds of animals so healthy and happy. At thekangaroo park you didn't have to line up and be shown the exact way to feed thekangaroos, they roamed free all over the park and you could find one kangaroothat you liked and feed him for awhileand then move on to another one. The kangaroos would stand up and curl theirpaws around your hand that held the food and look all around them with theirintelligent little eyes. They looked like little people when they stood up.

Oneof the things I learned there was that all animals are individuals and they allhave feelings. I've been sailing for two years and I saw so many amazinganimals, sea turtles, whale sharks, manta rays . . . But their homes aredisappearing. People pollute so much and if we don't stop and try to save theseanimals, they'll disappear.

Hello Australia!

2011-11-12T16:41:00.000-08:00

Hi! We are on the last 100m leg of our journey to Australia. While in the South Pacific we've traveled 7350 m. Tonight we'll have arrived in Bundaberg

I'm learning morse code for fun right now so here's a message for anyone that can read it. .-. .. --. .... - -. .. -- .--. .- ... .. .. -. --. -- -.-- ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. … -... --- .- -

It's going to be very nice getting to Australia because there's going to be fresh milk, celery that isn't $2 a stalk, cheese, apples, and FLOUR THAT DOESN'T HAVE BUGS IN IT! Trust me, having flour without bugs in it is a big deal. My mum wonders where I'll get my extra protein but I'm not too sad to say adios to the bugs, to be honest. Our ETA, ( Estimated Arrival Time ) is at 1:am and we'll anchor in the quarantine anchorage. A lot of my friends are selling their boats in Australia and flying home so I'll have to say goodbye to a lot of friends.

A ton of my old friends went to Australia last year so I'll get to see them and that'll be really cool. We're going to be in Bundaberg for week or two and then we'll move down to Brisban and go to visit Sidney and pick up my cat Charlie who's arriving in Australia a bit after us.

Getting back to civilization is going to be amazing. Hot showers, fresh food, super markets . . . It's going to be awesome but weird. I'm really excited.

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Vanuatu

2011-10-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm in Vanuatu. Before I got here I had no idea what to expect. Would it be like Fiji or Tonga? Would it be anything like French Polynesia?

Vanuatu is a very interesting place so I'm going to give you a bunch of random facts about it:

We've gone to a lot of villages and have been given fish, paw-paw (papaya), pumpkin, bananas, and coconut by the locals in exchange for T-shirts, canned goods, and fish hooks.

Instead of the whole country speaking 1or 2 languages, there are over 100 languages spoken in Vanuatu! Each village speaks its own language.

The Vanuatu people used to name the months after different types of yam.

Every year at the yam festival, men jump off a 15-story tower with vines tied to their ankles to ensure the growth of their yams.

When we were anchored off a island for the night we saw flocks of Dugongs, They look a lot like manatees. ( I fail to see how old time sailors could have ever believed these blubbery creatures to be mermaids, what happened to the long flowing hair, the sleek,shiny tail?)

Another time on a island called Epi we saw so many sea turtles that I started ignoring them.

I wondered what Vanuatu was like and I found out that it is a unique place all of it's own.

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Waterfalls

2011-10-19T02:17:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I'm in Vanuatu right now. A lot of you probably have never heard of Vanuatu. It's in the middle of the ocean and it's a group of islands. It is, in fact a whole country of its own. I bet a lot of you are thinking "wow, a whole country I never knew about". We went to the most amazing water fall yesterday. There countless pools of cool, clear, water with minerals in it. You could get the best back massage in any pool. You can climb up the water fall and it isn't tricky. The people that own the water fall have put hand rails up the falls and scraped away the algae. I could have spent days there, it was that amazing. I shouted for the sheer joy of being alive and healthy. We swum and floated and slipped and slid. We charged up the falls like little kids.
We had the best day ever. Just our little family.

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Happy Thanksgiving

2011-10-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

I just saved thanksgiving. Again. The day before thanksgiving I asked my mum when thanksgiving was. She checked on the internet and found out . . . THAT THANKSGIVING WAS TOMORROW! Quickly my mum radioed our friends Connect 4 and invited them to Thanksgiving supper.

We celebrated with our friends with lots of fun and tons of food. Our menu included roast chicken, (we passed on the $113 turkey, we didn't think our friends would mind chicken) mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and apple pie.

We ended supper by telling each other what we were each thankful for. It was a lot of fun.

Happy Thanksgiving!

School in Fiji

2011-10-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I just visited a Fijian school. Compared with my old school, Emily Carr, this school was tiny! The rules were very different than the rules at Emily Carr. Some of the rules were “beware of falling coconuts” or “get in the school boat professionally”. Also, almost none of the children wore shoes. If I went bare foot to school in Vancouver I'd injure my feet!

When we went to the school we brought textbooks, books for the school library, and pens and pencils for the kids. They were very excited about having visitors. We were shaking hands and high-fiving kids for ages. They were very hard working and very happy. The school goes from Grade 1 to Grade 8. Kids from three surrounding villages go to school there.

We had a really fun time and met lots of great kids, the school is really nice and the kids are very proud of it.

Time in the Yasawas

2011-10-01T19:17:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

I just came back from an amazing dive and I'm going to tell you all about it. We set out in our small dinghy toward the reef with our friends on Connect 4 following in our wake. While I was waiting my turn to get my gear on, my friend Chelsea and I went of to explore a bit. I was free diving down and I started to get out of breath, wow, that's weird, I thought I'm only at about ten ft. I turned around and looked up, I had actually gone down 25 ft. The clear water had fooled me into thinking that the bottom was much shallower than it was!

I went back to the dinghy and got my gear on. The my Dad and I went down to the bottom. There were brightly colored fishes, flashy coral, and clear blue water. We had a beautiful dive. We dove at Navadra and I would recommend going there if you can. If you're a beginner and you want a cool dive I would suggest Navadra. It's in the Yasawas in Fiji.

Last night Connect 4 and us had a big bonfire on the beach. We set of fire works and explored and made secret hideouts. It was really fun, we had a great time.

This morning, after I got up I saw a huge cruise ship coming in to the little harbor, it was crazy! It was called Captain Cook Cruises.

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Racing in Fiji

2011-09-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

My dear readers.

Good morning, afternoon or evening. We just returned from crewing on a 41 foot catamaran during a race during which we were all supremely soaked. We’re at Musket Cove Regatta Week. Yesterday my team won at tug-o-war. Tomorrow we’re going to a pig roast. We came in 3^rdin the race and we had lots of fun. The start of a race is kind of weird because everyone’s sailing around and every time you turn around another boat looks like it’s going to ram you. I was inside for most of the race so I can’t provide a very accurate description. We sailed around the island, got very wet, and had a lot of fun.

Sorry to say this blog post isn’t very long. I’ll write a longer one soon.

See you later!

Places I Love

2011-09-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

My grandma asked me about my favourite place since we left Canada. I don't have a favorite place so here are my favorite things from each place.

THE U.S.: I really loved Christmas time. We were in Newport Beach (in California) for it. I didn't love it just because I got great presents, (although that was pretty fun) it was fun because of all the little secrets, decking out the boat for Christmas, cutting paper snowflakes, singing silly Christmas songs, and the feeling of merriment.

MEXICO: I loved La Crez and I met my friends Mairen and Siobhan and soon we became inseparable, sleepovers every night, eating ice creams, going to the market together . . .We strengthened each other and we became best friends.

MARQUESAS: It was a big change from hot, dry Mexico to the humid, misty Marquesas. Instead of sandy ridges there were towering lush, green mountains. We arrived very early in the morning, at about 4:00 am. We went back to bed and I woke up first at 6:00 am. I went outside and I saw huge green mountains and endless mist. If the explorers saw the same sight I did, I almost don't blame them for wanting the islands for themselves.

TUAMOTUS: We met so many great friends there. Dinner was almost always spent laughing and joking with another family. I loved how many potlucks and meals we all had together. The weather was perfect and every day was an new adventure.

SOCIETYS: I loved hanging out with my friends and going shopping in the Carrefour (a super market) with them. I liked going with my mom to the pearl shop and looking at buckets of pearls and deciding which pearl to do what with for which friend. And I loved the strong scent of fresh flowers in the morning from the shore.

COOKS: I liked motor scootering with our friends, except my dad and I crashed and that wasn't so fun. I liked going to see the giant clams even though we almost sank. (The dinghy was over loaded). It was fun going to shore in my kayak by pulling myself along the shore line. Everyone on the island was very friendly.

TONGA: We were in the first calm anchorage for a long, long time and as the sun set my parents and I swam towards the sandy beach. We played there for a while then we swam home.
That night I felt complete, a family.

FIJI: I really liked swimming in the water fall. It was so cold! In one place the rocks had worn away a natural water slide. There was a big bump about 6 ft down and it looked like it was really going to hurt but since you were airborne for the last 6 ft it didn't matter. It was really fun and I had a great time.

Our friends Mark and Val just left. Mark taught me to scuba dive. Our other friends Jen and Peter are coming with their kids Anja and Cara. We're going to Regatta Week (a big cruising get together with games and barbecues) so I guess this list will just keep growing.
LOVE, MAIA.

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Birthday Diving

2011-09-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hello my dear, dear readers. It's another beautiful day in Fiji. And it's almost my tenth birthday. What more could one want, right? But I also get to go scuba diving for my tenth birthday. Contrary to the common belief, scuba diving does not make you feel like a fish. Not at all, at least not at first. At first you feel like a puppy that's paws are too big for its body. But it's amazing, seeing all the coral and fishes and being able to inspect them for a while. Sometimes you soar, sometimes you sink, sometimes you rise. It all feels great.

My Ukulele

2011-07-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hi again! It's me Maia Selkirk with another interesting story to tell. Anyways I'm learning to play a instrument. Try to guess what type. Still don't know? All right I'll tell you, a ukulele!

I'm taking lessons at downtown Papeete at Pedron Music, and after only 2 lessons I can play a song.

My ukulele is made from smooth honey colored wood from the miromiro tree. It's shaped like a electric guitar and it's a Tahitian ukulele and has a high clear ringing tone that sounds like a stream running over some rocks.

It's kind of easy . . . so far. My teacher's name is John and he's been playing ukuleles since he was a little boy. He has a double ukulele which is 2 ukulele's stuck together and during a song you can switch back forth between ukuleles.

Byeeee!

Tahiti! (with pictures by Maia)

2011-07-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

The black sand beaches

Hi everyone! Here I am again in Tahiti. Yesterday we went on a guided tour of the island and stopped at, Point Venus, The blowhole, the spring waters, the black sand surfing beach, the light house (I had a large, delicious slice of chocolate cake at the light house).

the spray from the blowhole

Then we stopped at the botanical gardens to look at all the beautiful flowers and have a cone of refreshing boysenberry ice cream. From there we went to the fern grottos and then we went home.

just a few of the beautiful flowers

Ruth, our guide, told us many interesting facts about the culture, for an instance did you know that when a Tahitian child misbehaves a common punishment is buying and planting a tree. The worst punishment is planting a banana tree. When a child is told that they have to plant a banana tree they dissolve into tears and screams. When we asked Ruth why it was so hard she said “because you have to dig to china”anyways it's time for me to go . . . soooo so long for now!

Landfall Tahiti

2011-06-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Pictures, phonecalls, email etc soon--but just wanted to let friends and family know we safely arrived Tahiti last night and anchored at Point Venus with WGD and Britannia. Piko is further into Papeete. We're pulling up anchor and heading further into the city now.
We hear there is a four lane highway.
Craziness.

For other cruisers following in our wake, Point Venus is an excellent night time entry/departure point for Tahiti--it's wide open and flat calm.

* Happy Graduation to Colleen and Happy Birthday to Carolyne!!

Cook'n---Marquesan Style

2011-05-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

Hi people! It's me again! Today I'm going to be talking about cooking breadfruit fritters, a modern dish with a traditional Marquesan ingredient. If any of you wherever you are can find a breadfruit here's the recipe.

BREADFRUIT FRITTERS.

Mash 2 cups of soft raw breadfruit into a bowl. Add 2 eggs and mix in flour till it holds together well. Drop by teaspoon into inch deep hot oil. Flip with spoon when golden brown. Drain and serve.

Serves 3 or more.

When ancient Marquesans cooked with breadfruit (they made poi-poi--a sticky, tangy, fermented dough like substance and also roasted it on a fire) the mashing part was done with a mortar and pestle, but we found a food processor much more effective and quicker.

After dinner we used another local ingredient to make our dessert . . . BANANAS! Here's the recipe.

BANANAS MARQUESAS

Take 1 banana per person. Slice down the center of the bananas and part them so you have halves. Place the bananas in a frying pan with lots of butter let cook for three minutes then flip. Sprinkle with sugar ( lots of it!) and cinnamon (not lots!). Now glug rum all over the pan, (and now for the really fun part . . . ) SET IT AFIRE! After the fire goes out sprinkle with lime juice, (VERY IMPORTANT).

Serve with yogart.

I hereby conclude that the dinner was yummy.

CHRISTMAS IN MAY

2011-05-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

My Christmas presents went to La Paz (where we spent Christmas) but we had to leave before they got there. Then our friends on Adios III picked them up in La Paz and sailed them to Hiva Oa where they left them in a pizza restaurant. We were going to go to Hiva Oa but our rudder broke so we went to Nuku Hiva, 100 miles away from Hiva Oa. Our friends on BLUE MOON picked up the presents for us, and brought them to us in Nuku Hiva.

For us down here in the southern hemisphere it's winter but the months are the same so Christmas is in the summer. And in Australia they go and have barbies on the beach for Christmas, (barbecues, although I did like the idea that they barbecue barbies)

Thanks to everyone for reading my blog and . . . Merry Christmas in May!

MAIA!

Marquesan Horses

2011-05-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Marquesan horses were imported by Admiral Dupetit-Thouars from Chile in 1842 and he gave them as gift to Chief Iotete. The horses were small but strong and their decedents are still living in all the big islands. They're still a very important part of the culture. You can see Marquesans giving their horses baths at the beach, watch people ride their horses down the main street, and see foals dancing around with their mothers. Up in the mountains wild horses gallop to their hearts content, their only visitors are the occasional car. Their colts grow up to be just as wild and free as they are. Some are tethered at the edge of the road, content to graze peacefully. You can see wild and free horses or quiet and meek horses. I think they all love their new home.

A local bathing his horse--pictures by Maia

Landfall

2011-05-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm back! That's right, me the amazing, crazy-but-wonderful Maia Selkirk is back! We have safely

crossed the biggest ocean in the world with only minor mishaps! (Although we did lose a rudder)

We're in NUKU HIVA with our friends on WHATCHA GONNA DO. Nuku Hiva is very green, lush, and beautiful. It rains a lot here. I am attempting to learn French.

We visited some ruins with big, scary, dark pits of despair.(Which are actually sacrifice pits)

We can't go swimming here cause there's a big old shark here. I saw his fin coming towards the dinghy at the dinghy dock when I was sitting in the dinghy.

BYE TILL NEXT TIME!

MAIA SELKIRK!

South Pacific Planning

2011-03-23T10:06:00.003-07:00

We're leaving for the South Pacific. In a couple of weeks. And my mom hasn't even started provisioning! As you might have noticed, we're not super prepared. Our friends on SAVANNAH left about a week ago. Let's just say not every thing's completely normal, for an instance after this blog post I'm supposed to design and make a float for our man overboard pole. Not a normal school day, huh? Anyways I'm kind of sad cause we'll be leaving a lot of really good friends like Hotspur and Windfall but we'll meet new ones and find old ones. All in all it's a pretty good life.

A day trip from Melaque - photo essay by Maia

2011-02-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

Questions for Maia

2011-02-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Maia's mum here. A while ago (a really long while ago...) Maia invited her readers to ask questions. But because I'm terrible about tracking comments we missed the fact that several families asked her things. So, better late than never, here are her answers. Feel free to ask more, or re-ask other things I've missed... And I promise to look this time—they make a great home schooling activity.

When did you learn to drive the outboard?

I forget. It was so long ago!

Did Charlie the cat settle in easily?

Kind of. If you count hiding behind the water maker for 2 months easily. And he was seasick for the first few months.

How did you feel when you left stuff behind?

It was hard but not as hard as leaving my friends behind.

Does your life vest bug you?

Not really because I only have to wear it out of the cockpit in rough weather or at night. (Maia had to pass a swimming test and swim 3x around the boat in wavy/windy conditions to be freed from day to day pdf wear.) But we had to try a lot of different life jackets to find one that was comfortable.

What scares or bothers you about living on the boat?

Nothing except for storms.

What do you like best about living on your boat?

Waking up every morning and having a new back yard.

Do you miss having friends around all the time?

Sometimes, but I have a lot of cruising friends.

Crocodiles

2011-02-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

Crocodile babies are small, only about 1& a half feet long. How do I know? Not because I read a lot, (although I do) not because I saw pictures, (although I have) I know because I've seen them. (Although not in a zoo.) I saw them in the mangroves of Tenacatita.

We were cruising down the mangroves minding our own business when suddenly my mom started yelling at my dad to turn the dinghy around and get the camera because she had seen a crocodile. By the time we turned the dinghy around it was gone, but we were excited because when there's one there's bound to be more. I kept looking and soon we spotted the second one; it had a long snout and was olive green and lumpy. It was a baby. After that we saw three more.

not a crocodile, just a nice bird...

See you later alligator,

in a while crocodile.

KABOOM!!!

2011-01-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

That is how my day started. I was sleeping peacefully when the first firework went off at a stupidly early hour – BOOM – BOOM!!! ( By the way this blog post is going to have a lot of loud noises ) It was our Lady of Peace day.( I think setting off fireworks is a great way to celebrate peace, don't you?)

Anyway, my mom thought it would be cool to go to the blessing of the fleet. So we went. After escaping death several times(almost being run over by a panga is not my idea of fun) we had a lot of fun.

In the evening we went to the fiesta which is Spanish for, have – a lot – of – fun – and – stay – up – really – late. We had a lot of fun and maybe one day you'll come you'll come to Mexico and go to the fiesta.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everybody!!!!! We spent Christmas in La Paz.

Some of the festivities included setting off fire works . . . .

Informing my parents it was Christmas at 6 am . . . . . . .

And of course decorating the tree

From my cat I got a little electric dog that runs around and yips . In my stocking I got tiny sparklers. And I got several new books.

We had to do our Christmas shopping in the markets. The market was outdoor on the streets. It’s made up of stalls made from tarps and inside, people sell anything from pencils, to dogs, to a dolls tea set. We got a lot of good stuff there. In a Mexican market at Christmas the scene was a little less than chaotic. Of course it was organized chaos. Anyways I think it was a pretty good Christmas.

New Friends

2010-12-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

I've met two new friends. Trinidad and Samantha are two little girls, 5 & 7. I put on the play Pippy Longstocking with them. ( I was Pippy of course). We had a lot of fun. We're having a sleepover tonight as well. They live in Arizona when they are not on their boat called Endurance. When the market on Sundays happens we go together. Trinadad has blond hair and green eyes and is 5, Samantha has brown hair and brown eyes and is 7 they're sisters. They're both really nice. And funny!

The way cruising kids make friends is if you see a kid at a potluck or something you just go up and say “hi what's your name?”

Christmas Plans

2010-11-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa, You might remember me from last year. I'm the little kid on a boat who is sailing around the world?"

Maia is working on Christmas cards and Christmas letters today. We want to pop them in the mail before heading out of here. We've actually decided on a destination for Christmas. For a variety of reasons we're not heading south as quickly as we first planned. So Ceilydh is going to go Christmas caroling in La Paz this year.

For the past hour we've been going through the options for our Christmas destination but it was the happy memory of getting mail at Club Cruceros when we were cruising 15 years ago that really sold us on the little Baja city. So for friends and family (and any random strangers who want to surprise a homesick little girl with a Christmas greeting) we can receive letter mail or *very* small packages at this address:

Maia Selkirk

S/V Ceilydh

Apdo. Postal 366

La Paz, CP 23000, BCS, Mexico

Expect things to take 2-4 weeks to arrive. Roughly about the same amount of time it will take us to get there…

Tips For Cruisers in the Sea of Cortez

2010-11-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

The Sea of Cortez Islands are a amazing place filled with nature. Animals who don't live anywhere else in the world live there. So we have to protect the natural beauty and not set up big resorts that put out advertisements saying, “Have your dream vacation here only! Meet a friendly dolphin! Make 1000's of new friends!”

That's not why we're here folks! Ok maybe for the friends part but . . .

You can visit the Islands though sooooooooooooo

If you want to do that here are some tips . . . .

1. Before you get to the Islands brush your shoes and clothes because there's a type of grass called buffalo weed and it burns really fast and you might have the seeds on your shoes.

2. Don't scare the birds because they'll fly away. There’s one type of bird that only has one chick a year and if she is scared away from her nest a rat could eat her egg or chick and the population could go extinct.

3. Don't bring pets to the Islands because they'll make a mess and they could bring a disease.

4. Don't collect shells because it's illegal.

5. Here's one thing you can do – have fun.

The reason I know all this is because here in Guaymas a parks person came and gave us a presentation and she told us all the rules.

My Great Grandma

2010-11-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

May 24, 1920-November 12, 2010

My Great Grandma was a war bride. She came to Vancouver Island on a ship and then on a train with her two baby daughters, Mary and Margaret, from Scotland in January 1944.

She didn’t know if her new husband would ever return from the terrible war that was tearing the world apart.

She settled on Vancouver Island and had two more children, John and Jim. Her children grew up playing and working on the beautiful Island and they had children of there own. Her family has grown amazingly—she has seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

My Great Grandma loved to knit, and bake (she made the best scones ever) and to garden. And she had some of the most delicious apples I’ve ever tasted—one year we picked so many we had to have apple pies for weeks. She loved jewellery and cats. But I think most of all she loved her family. And we love and will miss her.

A Beautiful Place

2010-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today I went to one of the most beautiful places on earth: A mossy green pool surrounded by cliffs with a ruby-red dragon fly zipping over the water and a frog clinging to a branch.

This is a sacred place, the place of Nacapule. Ancient Yaqui people believed that it was sacred because it provided them with everything they needed: food, water and shelter.

They touched their arrows and spears to the skin of a special frog who had poison on its skin.

The place is filled to the brim with beautiful butterflies, so many it could hold no more.

We scrambled over rocky cliffs and even up a sheer 15ft rock with only a worn out rope to hold us. All in all it’s a sacred place.

CIVILIZATION!

2010-10-19T08:40:00.003-07:00

the view from the swimming pool

We're back in civilization folks! I mean hot water, sit down restaurants, lettuce, fresh food, a swimming pool, doughnuts at the store. . . What more could a girl want? Anyways we're back in the CITY! Or rather, San Carlos. There's a supermarket here, can you believe it? I can't. Oh it's so exiting! HURRAH!

The Pizza Party of Death

2010-09-27T12:06:00.001-07:00

The Pizza Party WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A REGULAR PIZZA PARTY. But no it was the pizza party of death! We were innocently watching a movie at my friend's boat in the cockpit when my friend's parents came home and told us to go inside (to put it mildly) WHAT THE HECK! Then it hit us (both literally and figuratively) BOOM! A CHUBASCO! AHHHHHH! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! BOOM! CRASH! MAYHEM! CATASTROPHE! We all tumbled inside. WE'RE ALL GONNA TO DIE! We all survived and my dad picked me up AT 1 IN THE MORNING! Ok we didn't die but . . . you never know.

GLOSSARY
(a chubasco is a big wind storm with lots of waves and lightening) pronounced choo- bass- co.

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Crafts on the Beach

2010-09-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I dyed one of my favorite dresses. It was a white embroidered slip, which my mom thought was too stained to wear. So she suggested I dye it when we were invited to a dying class on the beach. I did. I dyed it purple and turquoise. Turquoise at the hem and purple for the rest. It looks really cool now. There were tons of colors to choose from but I eventually chose purple and turquoise. It sort of looks like tie dye but cooler. Some people dyed bags, others blankets and still others shirts. Anyway, I had an amazing day and I'm happy I did it. Dying stuff is fun.

A Sealion Under my Boat

2010-09-19T14:24:00.001-07:00

Playing with Nadine under my boat

Nadine is a sealion in Bay of LA. My mom named her. She’s a beautiful young juvenile who loves to play. She also loves to taunt Charlie, (poor Charlie!) She’s small and slim and sleek. She makes woofing noises. She’s a very good friend.

She seems to like the shade of our boat and hides under the bridgedeck.

My Birthday

2010-09-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

My 9th birthday wasn't nice. It was awesome. I got so many nice letters! Oh, how on earth am I going to answer them all? I know! I'll write a blog post about my birthday.

I got lots of wonderful gifts like beautiful homemade clay beads (my mom), gorgeous black pearl earrings and a dance trapeze (my dad), a huge bottle of whipped cream (my friend Carolyne), and bacon (Jesse). I also saw dolphins and fireworks. The fireworks were in the anchorage. The dolphins were out at sea. We caught a giant dorado. The dorado was two feet long and yellow with blue spots. So all and all I think I got my moneys worth.

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The Tortilleria

2010-09-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

I just got fresh tortillas today and can you guess where they came from? Yup that's right the tortilleria.

The tortilla machine looks like a giant conveyer belt with a shmoosher, and a fire, and a cooling rack, all in one. The shmoosher shmooshes, the fire cooks, and the cooler cools.

We bought harina (wheat flour) but you can also get maiz (corn). You can buy medio kilo for 12 pesos or about 1$.

Playing Pioneers

2010-09-01T11:27:00.003-07:00

My friends and I wanted to know what it was like to live without modern resources . . . .

We dressed like them, we ate like them, we talked like them, we cooked like them and we even acted like them. And who did we do it all like? 1 simple question 1 simple answer.

My friend Carolyne took this picture

PIONEERS we lived like them.

Expect for the house which was a cave, we lived like them.

When my friends Amy, Carolyne and I went to the beach, we set up a pioneer camp. While we were there we saw crabs, seagulls, and pelicans. And then it started to rain and waves came crashing down on the rocky shore. But we cleaned and cooked through the violent thunder storm. And I would do it again.


yumm... potato leek soup

Here we are cooking a meal.

My Article in Latitude and Attitudes

2010-08-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Fossil Limestone at Punta Santa Domingo

2010-08-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

this is the cliff that looked interesting

Yesterday we were walking along the beach and we saw a big red cliff. There were lots of shells stuck together with sand in the top layer. We found a piece and thought it was interesting so we brought it back to the boat. (We also brought back my new pet hermit crab, but you’ll hear for about that later.)

Today we put the rock on the table and banged it open with a hammer. Inside were shells, crystals and well, rock. My favourite shell was a spiral half shell, half crystal fossil.

the shell limestone looks like this

The fossils we found were covered in sand and/or rock and were mostly gastropods and pelecypods. Fossils are formed when an animal or plant dies and the bones and teeth are buried under sand or mud. The fossilising process takes thousands of years. It’s quite common to find an unfinished fossil.

this is how it looked up close


examining a fossil

I thought finding the fossils was very interesting and I’m going to keep looking for more fossils.

The Water Totter

2010-08-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

The water totter is a water toy and boy is it unstable! It’s a giant teeter-totter. You spend more time getting on it than you do playing on it.

As I named it the water totter I saw “water totter” printed on the hull. Darn! But the name stuck. Just yesterday my friend and I were playing on the totter and at the same time we pushed each other off. Once when my dad and our friend were on it I yanked the line that the totter was on and they flew off. The water totter is a cool toy and that is why I like it.

Swimming with sea lions

2010-07-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hoppy

2010-06-12T16:08:00.001-07:00

Hi! I have another pet. Its not a cat or a dog or a goldfish. Can you guess what he is? No? Well I'll tell you.

meet Hoppy

He's a hermit crab! When I walked down the beach yesterday I saw a cool looking shell so I picked it up and there was Hoppy! ( that's what I call my crab) I asked my mom if I could keep him and she said yes. I'm teaching tightrope walking to him and he's very good . He does it up side down. Its pretty funny! Hoppy is blue gray with red at the joints and a white shell. He has black googooly eyes.

he changes his shell every so often

His habitat is a glass bowl with sand, water, shells, and a big rock. Hoppy's not fuzzy but boy is he cute! He loves climbing up my arms and legs.

Hoppy's habitat

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Home Sweet Home

2010-06-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

My room was nice before, but now it's even better. I have almost an entire hull to myself. I've got a desk, a small playroom and a bunk to sleep in.

My current design plan is to paint copper coloured cats on my bedroom ceiling and turquoise swirls too. I've also got dark forest green curtains with multi-coloured straps to hold them in place.

Boats

2010-05-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Boats come in many shapes and sizes, I should know because I'm currently sailing on one and doing a circumnavigation, I've had tons of fun and made loads of new friends. I wish everyone could have the wonderful experience I am having. Sailing is so fun! (Except for when it's all lumpy and bumpy!)

We're seeing lots of sea turtles and dolphins here in Mexico. And for me, the sea can always substitute for a friend.

We get our water by using a watermaker (it turns seawater into good tasting water!). We get our electricity from the sun, using solar panels. Grocery shopping is much like shopping and living on land, except sometimes you have to shop in little tiny stores that only have rotten bananas and rice.

Garbage Clean-up on El Magote

2010-05-16T13:10:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was the day of the bonfire and the garbage clean-up on a beach across from La Paz. The garbage clean-up started as walking around looking for garbage, then it turned into a race and finally it was just plain fun. Seven kids collected seven big bags of garbage. The bags were stuffed to bursting.

After that we built up a huge bonfire and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. My friend, Holly and I went swimming in our clothes but nobody else did. We were on a peninsula so we got to swim in the ocean. Soon the bonfire died down so all the kids had to rake it and collect dry wood.

After that we motored home in our dingy.

Things are Different On a Boat

2010-04-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Lots of things are different on a boat like...

Making toast, Laundry, You can Climb on the Roof, and Your Backyard.

Making toast on a boat is more complicated than making toast on land. We don't have an electric toaster so we have to use a camp toaster on which you have to turn the toast regularly. Making a piece of toast takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

Laundry on a boat takes a plunger, a wringer and a bucket and a bit of soap thrown in for good measure. It's a lot more compliicated than just throwing the clothes in a washing machine and taking them out and throwing them in a dryer and then carting them off to where ever you live.

On a boat you can climb on the roof. There are steps affixed into the wall of the cabin. Climbing up two or three stair like steps means you are on the roof.

My backyard is ever changing. One day I might see a city behind me and then the next I might see a jungle. Sometimes I'll have two backyards at once.

Easter Eggs in Mexico

2010-03-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

In Mexico there isn't any Easter Egg dye. So you have to make your own natural dye. We used things we found in the kitchen such as turmeric, hibiscus and beets.

We put the raw eggs in with the colour, then brought it to a boil until the eggs were hard cooked. We thought the hibiscus would turn purple-ish red, the turmeric would be orange and the beets would be red.

We were wrong! The greyish one was the hibiscus (I thought it looked like a dinosaur egg), the tan one was beet and the yellow one was turmeric. Who knew??

They still tasted good, even if they looked strange.

Later we finished off with a book we read every Easter, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.

Moments with friends

2010-03-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

How do you shimmy up a coconut palm with only two people?

Scooters are the most typical transportation for cruising kids. You always know which boat has kids judging by the scooters parked out front.

Here we are in front of the local paleta (ice cream) shop having agua frescas (fruit drinks).

Supper with friends.

Sewing quilts with friends.

Heaven! Dessert at a potluck!

Building a fairy home.

By the way keep an eye out for a future copy of Latitudes and Attitudes. You might find a story written by Mairen, Siobhan and I. We just learned that the magazine is buying the story we submitted!

Life in Mexico

2010-02-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

Clumsy blue-footed Boobie Bird

Charlie is sitting in the boat chattering at some birds right now. Just like him I'm really liking all the animals in Mexico. Like this cat for instance. Her name is Lala. We saw her at a restaurant and she came to us and let me pick her up.

She's as light as a feather.

This is our faithful boat cat Charlie. He's been through some pretty rough weather and some pretty bad storms, but he's a good side kick.

Here is a Gray Whale spouting. We saw more than 50 whales when we came out of Bahia Magdalena. They migrate from to Mag Bay to give birth to their calves.

Ceilydh the Wash House

2010-01-26T17:08:00.000-08:00

I was just sitting around on an ordinary day when mum announced that it was laundry day. Now, we don't have the typical washing and drying machine. But we do have some pretty awesome tools.

Yeah, I know it looks like a toilet plunger but it works pretty good for washing clothes.

This is dad working the ringer. You have to be careful not to get your fingers caught.

This is a pretty old-fashioned technique for drying clothes - it's called a clothes line. It works better in Mexico than in Vancouver.

But I don't always work hard, you know.

The San Diego Zoo

2010-01-05T16:16:00.001-08:00

Hi, I’m in San Diego this is about the San Diego Zoo.

We saw some koalas (very cute!) sleeping.

A spectacular polar bear wrestling match (amazing!) and two panda bears . The Zoo is huge! My feet felt ready to drop off at the end.

Christmas in Newport Beach

2009-12-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Decorations on Balboa Island are completely over the top. Like this one for instance. It blew fake snow off the roof and did a computerized light show every 7-minutes. It took three weeks to decorate.

Another one had fake penguins, fake snow and a fake ice pond in their front garden. This house belongs to a Teddy Bear collector gone crazy. If you look in the windows you will see mountains of bears and stuffies.

Dolphins - Woo Hoo!

2009-11-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Hollow Zoo - before it reopens after reconstruction

2009-10-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody who reads my blog. This is a blog post about a zoo I've been going to since I was little. My friend is the Zoo Curator so I get to go behind the scenes and learn about the animals.
This is a Foosa. It's from Madagascar and it's endangered. It eats lemurs, which are also from Madagascar. I helped to excercise her by waving a scrub brush back and forth around her cage. She also likes playing with Elk-flavoured bubbles. She got really excited when we took the bubbles out and looked sort of sad when we put them away. She'll be getting a beautiful new habitat as soon as the zoo is finished.

This is Sophia the Jaguar I first met her when she was a baby.

This is a little porcupine I got to pat. I also got a few of her quills and one of her whiskers. This is the play ground that is under construction and that I got to play on.

Exploring the Exploratorium!

2009-10-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

An impromptu cleanup

2009-10-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

After San Francisco got some heavy rain this week, the estuary behind our boat filled with all manner of floating debris. Maia was giving me one of her spa treatments on the forward nets, when the garbarge floating below caught my eye. We grabbed the fishing net and did our little part for the environment.

My favorite quote from Maia "The smart people have a responsibility to clean up after the stupid people." Words to live by...

- Evan

San Francisco Fantastic

2009-10-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

When we finally reached San Francisco - my immediate reaction was 'wow!" The Golden Gate Bridge sparkelled in the sun, the city was huge, the houses were beautiful.

After years of planning and a month of sailing we finally got here. I wish everybody who reads this blog could see what the city is like for real.

oof this is heavy

California Dreams Come True

2009-09-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

Gym class!

A typical school day aboard Ceilydh

2009-09-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

A typical school day for me is like this:

Since we do passages sometimes I have to do three days of handwriting, two days of math and two days of social studies all in one day.
On other days if there is something interesting to do on shore, I visit it and then I might make a big poster picture about what I've learned.

My school day usually ends at lunch, depending on my mood.

On passage

Doing school work

The Battery Point Lighthouse

Riddles

2009-09-25T12:33:00.001-07:00

Maia’s been talking in riddles lately. We all have.

It grew out of a homeschooling activity – ‘research an animal that interests you and make up a riddle based on facts you’ve learned.’

Maia’s first riddles were these:

My large eyes help me see in the dark

I am very cute

My long tail and long arms help me swing from trees

I live in the Amazon Rain forest

What am I?

Green skin around my eyes,

An optical illusion,

I mostly hop,

I’m a poor flyer.

What am I?

(if you leave your answer in the comments and Maia will tell you if you’ve got it:)

Her riddles have grown so cryptic that we need to let go of our adult thoughts and imagine the world through her eyes:

Mountains High

Valleys broad

Sun shining on my peak

I was once a volcano

Who am I?

Long sandy beaches

A hideaway

And friends

At first we thought Maia was approaching riddle making the way she used to approach Eye Spy. Rather than giving us clues about something she could see – she gave us clues about something she imagined and wished she could see (made for a tricky game…)

But they all have solutions, we just need to close our eyes and listen.

My Ocean School

2009-09-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

A boater's birthdays are always fun - this was my 3rd, 8th birthday.

This is the lighthouse near Victoria - we saw it just before we left to go south.

The sun is hot to hold. When the sun went down I helped with night watches - at night we keep sailing because there is no where to stop. It was fun because I got to sleep on the settee.

This is a humpback whale we saw he's one of my classmates. Don't you like him?

He likes gym and likes leaping and dancing.

We got to Coos Bay Oregon after 3 days at sea. I like passage making - Charlie wasn't so keen on it though.

I was sad that we had to give away our crab trap before we left, but I found a new tiny one. So far I've caught five crab, a star fish and a fish carcas.

That's my school desk and these are my class mates. They are noisy and smelly, but when you're home schooled you have to take what you get.

Charlie the Boat Cat

2009-09-09T18:34:00.003-07:00

Charlie is my cat. Sometimes he is very bad. Like just now, he jumped up on my craft project. It’s in his nature to be bad. Sometimes we have to remove him from behind the watermaker and every time we give him catnip he goes crazy. And he eats plastic bags. I don’t know why he has to be so bad…

But he is very cute and cuddly. But I just wish that he could for one day in his life be good. He does know how to open doors and hatches though - which is very clever.

Message in a Bottle

2009-09-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

"hey maia! i found your message in a bottle at sarah point (Powell River BC) thats pretty cool that you live in a sail boat. By the way my name is Emily :)"

One day I sent out a message in a bottle. And just when I thought I wasn't going to get an answer a message turned up. I'm going to send out way more messages in bottles because it is really exciting to get an answer.

If you want to put a message in a bottle you'll need to find a dry bottle with a wide neck that you can seal with a cork. Then get a bunch of duct tape and a small peice of paper. Write your message on the paper. You might want to write your age and name and how to contact you. You should write down where you are too! Once you're finished your message, role up the paper really tight and put it in the bottle. Cork it and wrap it with duct tape so it stays dry.

Throw it in an open stretch of water where there is some current. And then wait for an answer!

If you ever find one of my bottles please write me back.

How a Boat is Like an Amusement Park

2009-08-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Riding on the bow during big waves is like a roller coaster.
Paddling a kayak down tidal rapids is like a log ride.
But building your own zipline is the best ride of all.
We built it using our stern line in a place called Smugglers Cove.

First we attached a pully and a tube for a seat
then I climbed on and went!

Squirrel Cove Tidal Rapids

2009-08-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

I went white water rafting and swimming in the tidal rapids at Squirrel Cove. (Mum's note - the cove has a tidal lagoon that fills at high tide making for some fun rapids.)
It was great. You have to lay really flat because the water is shallow and you can hit the rocks.
We paddled down and swam down.
We did it for two days in a row.

One day was with my new friend Mackenzie.
We saw sea anenomes and star fish.
When we got cold we went back to the boat for hot chocolate.
Please tell me if you like reading my blog and let me know if you have any questions about my life on the boat with my mum, dad and Charlie the cat. I like knowing that someone reads what I write.
Thanks,
From Maia

Cinnamon Buns Galore

2009-08-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

When you live on a boat, sometimes the bakeries float

Cinnamon buns for sailors

So very yummy!

2009-08-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Here I am fossiling on the Puntledge River in Courtenay. It's fun but very dusty.

Here's a tooth that belonged to a shark 80-million-years ago. I don't want to meet him.

To find a fossil you need to bang at the rock and then pick-up each piece and look at it. Fossils are old animals that were squished under lots of mud.

This is an ammonite.

Encounter

2009-08-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

When we first began planning this trip with Maia there were images I held in my mind.
I saw us having many adventures together, but the ones I most looked forward to were the ones I witnessed, from a distance as a spectator.I don't really know what she thought or felt when she encoutered the seals, but I can recall my own explorations - my own encounters. And I can imagine.

Holding the Sun

2009-08-04T21:05:00.001-07:00

2009-08-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

People often ask us how Maia will spend her hours at sea.

Wondering how she will manage without TV, movies and malls

They ask us if we're worried that she will be bored.

We're not.

Friends

2009-07-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

One of Maia’s biggest worries about going sailing was her concern that she’s never going to have friends again. I completely understand this. The last time we headed off sailing I visualized night after night of Evan and I alone. Him winning at chess and talking endlessly about the finer points of yacht engineering, while I slowly withered from the lack of diverse companionship.

It was almost enough to keep me on land…

Have done this before though, Ev and I are in the unique position that we can assure Maia she will meet kids. She will make friends. She won’t have to learn about optimized foil shapes while other kids are building forts and such.

We told her this. But she didn’t believe us.

So we showed her.

Kids are amazing when it comes to making friends. We took Maia to the beach. Stood her in front of two little girls who were catching bullheads – and two hours later they had formed a club dedicated to kindness to animals and sworn to a lifelong friendship.

Then we left that anchorage to meet friends in Silva Bay so she (and we!) could reconnect with friends she hadn’t seen in two years. Within an hour they had planned a sleepover and a sailing trip.

There’s a lesson here – I’m pretty sure.

Boat School

2009-07-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

One of the questions we're often asked is, "Are you taking Maia with you?" That one puzzles us. The next question is always, "How will you educate her?"

There's a lot of stuff that happens naturally on a boat. Maia's urge to communicate with her friends ensures she works on her writing, our forays into the natural world include numerous lessons in biology, our travels to other countries should cover geography, culture and history quite nicely, sailing provides endless lessons in physics and navigating covers quite a bit of math.

And to supplement all of this we're throwing in some traditional schooling.

A few weeks before we left, we visited the Vancouver School Board's distance learning teacher. We chatted with her about our trip and our needs, then went to a warehouse and picked up a big box of books.

The books will be interesting - they'll give Maia something to do on slow mornings when Evan has chores or I have assignments. And they'll provide us with a framework to make sure we haven't forgotten to teach her something vital.

Her education will happen all the time though - and I believe her deepest learning won't come from text books, but will be found in the moments when she learns what a gust looks like as it gathers speed on the water, or when she interacts with animals on the beach...

Day One - Things I Like

2009-07-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

I like calm waters best.

Sometimes the nets are a very nice place to be lazy.

If you ever feel seasick, steer the boat instead of just riding, you'll feel better.

Crab! I love crab. I picked these crab up off the rocks this morning at low tide. These are called Red Rock crabs. They are very sweet but very hard to crack.

Exploring was one of the fun things I got to do today, I also went kayaking, wading, seaweed picking and dingy riding to shore for icecream eating.

2009-07-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Maia's been undecided about whether or not boat life works for her. She’s had a few pangs of homesickness, which I think are more about the fact we’ve been working non-stop on the boat all week and haven’t done much of the fun stuff we promised. Fortunately boat life comes with its own built in rewards and Seven Swans a Swimming (and a Goose in the Fraser River) are daily visitors.

Maia loves them and wants to go kayaking with them. (Seven Swans a Swimming, One Kid a Kayaking and a Goose in the Fraser River).

Charlie is less sure. He might want to eat them.

Imagining Pirates

2009-07-17T10:53:00.001-07:00

It is easy to be a pirate when the wind carries a salty smell and the deck is rough beneath your feet.

*awesome photos by Jodine Baluk

A girl and her boat

2009-07-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Maia's getting the hang of her little kayak and spends hours (while we pack, repack, stow and restow stuff) just paddling around exploring the river. I recall the freedom I felt in my first little sailboats and kayak. There is something about gliding over the water at your own pace that merges well with the dreamy feelings of childhood.

Maia's comments:
My kayak is called "Racing Waves" because she goes so well over waves. She's a blue and yellow, one person kayak with a black paddle. Sometimes when I just want to be alone - I go off paddling. I feel happy when I look at my kayak.

Family, family...

2009-07-17T10:08:00.001-07:00

Images by Jodine Baluk

Maia sets sail - by Maia

2009-07-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about leaving but I'm also nervous. I've sailed for about seven years and I love it. But I'm still sad about leaving my friends. We all had fun together and that's what matters. I'll always remember Vancouver.

I'm not going to say goodbye, but I'll say see you later because the world is round and that means we'll meet again.

Goodbyes

2009-06-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

We've begun the process of saying goodbye. There are so many things,
people and places that Maia will miss.Today we walked to school and
recalled what it was like in Kindergarten when we told each other
stories as we walked or looked for treasures. We're hoping to spread out
the hardest goodbyes so they don't hurt too much.

Art, art, art

2009-06-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Maia's is the top right

The class painting was done by all of them for a fundraiser.

The Fun Run

2009-06-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

Maia goes for the "Chef in the Kitchen" Brownie Badge

2009-05-05T23:27:00.001-07:00

Tonight's Menu:

Toasted Fresh Tomato bagette slices (use lots of olive oil to make them extra crispy)

Lemon, garlic, and fresh herb spaghetti

Chocolate Salami

Thanks to Uncle Clarke and Kathleen for the awesome kids cookbook that takes kids cooking seriously - no grilled cheese sandwiches for our chef

Visiting Annapolis and NYC and DC

2009-03-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Over spring break Maia and I headed back to the land of her birth. We stayed aboard our friends' Cindy, Doug and Zach's catamaran in Annapolis and explored the area then headed to NYC for a couple of days.

In NYC we were so happy to see Asha and Willa again after so many years ( and meet Cade!)

Maia and Willa played as well as they did when they were babes!

Visiting a typical Chesapeake lighthouse at a museum

NYC

2009-03-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Maia and our fab NYC host, Sarah.

A day in DC

2009-03-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

DC

2009-03-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Annapolis and DC

2009-03-24T19:15:00.001-07:00

Hanging with Pete and Tracey

Sword fighting with Zach

Visiting Pete's plane

Spring Break - Annapolis/DC/NYC

2009-03-24T19:06:00.001-07:00

We found a leprechaun while exploring Annapolis

Maryland's statehouse

Typical old Annapolis street

Port Annapolis Marina - Maia's first home

Playa Del Carmen Mexico

2009-03-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Maia came along on a work trip and had a few nice experiences including releasing a turtle,

relaxing with another writer's kid

hanging at the beach

leaping into cenotes

Maia visits Mexico

2009-03-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

we also went snorkeling in cenotes

rode a sky cycle

and explored the jungle

It was your typical business trip. But she did her best to make due...

Music Night at Hollyburn

2009-02-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

It's sad when a child can't trust her father

2009-02-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

More winter fun!

2009-01-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

Definitely different than Travis...

2009-01-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Maia and Charlie are good friends

He is so much more fun than a doll...

Our crazy weather...

2008-12-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

having fun in the snow outside our place

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

Pet visits Santa

2008-12-25T11:08:00.001-08:00

Maia Visits Santa

2008-12-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

Winter 2008

2008-12-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Visiting Santa's Reindeer

A skating lesson with Olympic medalist, Karen Magnussen

Skating on the top of Grouse Mountain